Installing many plugins in Chrome can negatively affect the user experience, slowing down and sometimes even blocking navigation. However, there are some that are very practical and achieve the opposite effect. In the Chrome Web Store there is a good collection of plugins to extend the capabilities of the Google Chrome browser, but there are also several that come installed as standard.
If you have ever entered Chrome: // plugins, you will have detected that there are several plugins installed in Chrome that are included as standard. Although the operation of the browser does not depend on these plugins - that is, we can eliminate them and nothing would happen - they are necessary to perform some specific tasks. We tell you what the plugins installed in Google Chrome are for.
Widevine Content Decryption Module
Its name makes many users think that it is some kind of software installed by mistake, but like the rest, Widevine Content Decryption Module comes with Chrome as standard. This plugin is responsible for playing HTML5 audio and video that is protected with DRM. Sites like Netflix need this plugin to be able to show us the streaming videos.
It is possible to remove it from the system without any problem, but if you want to watch DRM-protected videos you will have to reinstall it or they will not be playable.
Native Client
This feature allows developers to compile code so that their programs can work in the browser just as they do in an open environment such as a computer. The theory is that applications can work as fast as they do on the computer, but in practice it is hardly used. Only some games from the Chrome Web Store have been moved to the browser with this method. An example of the use of this technology is the Bastion game.
Adobe Flash Player
Adobe Flash has been slowly dying for years, but it is still breathing and that is why Google has decided to integrate it into their browser rather than offer it as a separate component. Adobe Flash Player allows us to view web pages with flash content, which are less and less, but there are still many. Being integrated into the browser, the plugin is updated along with Chrome and so we can not worry. In addition, it is a version adapted for a more stable operation than we are used to.
Chrome Remote Desktop Viewer
As its name suggests, Chrome Remote Desktop Viewer allows us to control our desktop remotely through another computer or a mobile device. The plugin is installed out of the box, but we will not be able to benefit from this feature unless we install the Chrome Remote Desktop App from the Chrome Web Store . Then you can manage the desktop from another computer that has Chrome or by installing the app on an Android or iOS device.
Chrome PDF Viewer
Last but not least, Google also includes a PDF file reader in the browser itself. If you don't have Acrobat or another PDF viewer installed , this feature allows you to view the document and even digitally sign it, all without leaving the browser.